dog walking routine?

danih

What's yours?

Mine get 15 mins twice a day. Trying to up this as one of my boys is putting on weight. I have attempted the long walk (about 2 miles, maybe 2 1/2) we do a couple times a week on each of the last three mornings. Max loved day one, quit 40% of the way around the loop on day 2, and 10% this morning. Need to plan new routes.

elsien

Mine's not as much as I'd like it to be due to Gitdog's "issues". He doesn't go walking while I'm at work as he's too strong for mum who does doggy day care, and he freaks, switches off and goes all ADHD in new places. And he is not able to go off lead or even bounce around on a long lead at the moment, it's all short lead walking unfortunately and mostly around the same routes because gitdog is calmer that way.
So our current routine is 40mins to an hour before work (40 min on a good day, an hour if he's pratting around and we're doing a lot more stopping and starting. And another hour after work. De-wee'd in the garden inbetween times, and games around the house to keep him mentally occupied. On my days off, the morning walk is shorter but we do a longer afternoon one.
He'd probably like more, but I just don't have the time - finish work at 5, go and collect him, an hour's walk and I'm still not cooking tea much before 7.


Your longer walks were maybe a bit of a shock to the system, so how about building up a bit extra every day in smaller amounts. And how old is doggy - could it be that the extra exercise was a bit painful for any reason?

danih

I think it has bn a shock to his system. Its a walk he loves - just not 2 days in a row apparently.

Max is 7, and getting heavy! His weight and age are against him. So far, no heart or other health issues (well, itchy ears, but not serious). Hoping his stamina will improve.

Am thinking 30 mins twice a day might be better then my current routine. So looking to see what other are doing.

elsien

Can he go off lead or on an extending lead at all? If he's into balls or games, he might be able to work off a few more calories running around that way and it might be more fun for him than just walking.


What about his diet, any way of cutting back there at all? Less dog food, more veggies to make him feel full, that sort of thing?

gettingready

With my current work /commuting...

Morning - at around 8am a 5 minutes pee trip (zara not me - just so we are clear... )

She gets picked up by a dog walker at around 10:30 and by car they pick up other dogs for the 11-12 walk so 11-12 is a one hour walk, then back in the car to drop dogs off/pick the next lot for the 13-14 walk ie another hour walk and back home at around 14:30.

I get back in about 7:30 pm, quick 5 minutes pee trip (again dog not me :P) and then about 30 minutes on lead as it is dark walk around 10:30pm.

Weekends - depends how shattered I am... sigh...

But Zara gets a good 2.5 hour walk minimum each weekds, and 2 hours out of that is off lead with other dogs - running, swimming, covering herself in mud etc etc

Fosterdog

Mine don't get anywhere near what they used to as they both have declining mobility (girl has CDRM and boy has arthritis). They sometimes have to be walked separately if one is having a bad day. Usually a five minute walk, 10-20 mins offlead run/sniff/potter around and 5 min walk home once a day, sometimes twice if they can manage it.

It's really not a lot but they just can't manage much more these days. They do also get time in the garden and on the mountain behind the house every day, at least an hour most days broken up into 10-15 min blocks. Quite often there are other dogs for them to play with on the mountain too so it gives them a bit more exercise.

Before their health declined they would get an hour in the morning an hour at lunch time and an hour in the evening plus long treks on there weekend, this gradually decreased over the last 2.5 years.

codemonkey

CD gets 40 -50 minutes in the morning with me ( this will go up to an hour when its lighter outside), an hour at lunchtime with his dogwalker and half an hour with DH in the evening (this will go up when the evenings are lighter as there are few streetlights where we walk him). DH does make him run a lot - he likes to hide round corners so CD has to find him or changes direction abruptly so CD will run and catch up.

On top of this he gets lots of physical games - throwing his toys upstairs so he has to run and get them, piggy in the middle where he has to try to jump to catch his toys in midair and so on, all of which tire him out nicely.

gettingready

Oh of course - when it is lighter zare ets more time out with me.

I doubled the dog walker's time for the time when it is dark by the time I get home.

Zara will be 8 yo this August... time flies...

danih

Their long walk is about two thirds off lead, and they love that!

One way to shorten the long walk - so Max can manage it (I hope) daily would b to drive there in stead of walking the 10 mins each way through the town centre. That will give us a 30 - 40 minute walk, with just a couple minutes time on the lead and lots of grass.


I've walked Max for 30 minutes regularly on town walks. But the hard surfaces are
tough on his limbs, and he starts to limp

his portions have been reduced - as of a few days ago. Really only realised over the weekend how heavy Max has become.

And he only does edible toys - rawhide type things. And squeaky toys, tries to eat those too.

lostinrates

I am really lucky as we have plenty of off lead space at home. The dogs come ' to work' with me at home in the morning. First thing we go out and they have a period of time between twenty minutes and an hour and a half outside, this always includes a good sprint, but also includes pottering time. The older girls usually find somewhere to rest while I am 'working' in winter ( in the straw barn) while the little man sniffs about exploring and buzzing Bout either the yard or the fields. We do the dog walk / field bit first after checking horses are alive, then we go and check water troughs and have a run before coming back. That way the girls can settle if they want while I work.


In the spring/summer/autumn we walk for the whole time, as I poo pick fields, check troughs, further afield and it takes longer. We always try and be finished quite early in the day.


They get widdle breaks at least at lunch time, three/four six, eight and then another walk at about half ten /11. This depends on weather. Recently its been seven minutes as they don't want to paddle, but its as long as it needs to be. In summer we might do another twenty minute spurt. In winter I need to put hay out again, and might spend ten minutes.

In addition to the beginning and end of day there is an afternoons slot which varies, it can be ten minutes, or a half hour, while I put birds away, feed anyone , put hay out and so on.


At weekends we spend at least one day working primarily outside, they are with us for all of that, and do a longer walk (the girls sometimes choose to stay at home if the weather is bad ' the boy gets no choice, he needs it.)

Today its sunny, and while its certainly no replacement for a walk, my back doors are open and they have the garden to play in. Its so much nicer than being cooped up all day.


EditFwiw my oldest dog, who is prone to putting on weight wouldn't cope with much more 'walking'. A sprint and a potter is all she can take. I'm incredibly lucky that I can be here all day so little things like going out to put things in the bin are little bits of activity they can choose to indulge in.

krlyr

I would build up their exercise slowly. If they have 15 minutes now, make it 20 tomorrow and the next few walks. If they're ok with that, make it 25 minutes for a few days before moving up to 30. It'll take time to build their fitness up, no point overdoing it and risking the dog having an injury meaning walks have to be restricted even moreso.